Students breaking down language barriers

Students and speakers from the Language at Work Conference organised by Holt School pupils

Gifted and talented pupils from The Holt School took part in the third Language at Work event.

The annual meeting, organised by the secondary in Holt Lane and Wellington College, in Crowthorne, through the Independent and State School Partnership (ISSP), aims to inspire pupils to enjoy foreign languages by putting them in a business context.

Business advisers from Symantec, Canon, GCHQ, BBC Monitoring and sports journalist Chris Dennis were on hand during the event at Wellington College in October to explain to pupils that studying a language doesn’t only lead to a career in teaching, translating or interpreting.

Tim Griffith, assistant headteacher at The Holt School, said: “This day gives the students a tremendous opportunity to experience and hear about life in business.

“It’s easy for students to get bogged down in the day-to-day routine of school.

“It’s therefore great they can attend a quality event like this and get a glimpse of life in the future whilst being inspired to continue with their language studies.

“The support of Wellington College, the business leaders and the ISSP have enabled this inspirational day to take place.”